Courtesy: Daily News and Analysis (MB)
   
New Delhi, Apr 19: Expecting a three-fold rise in passenger movement at the Delhi international airport by the start of 2010 Commonwealth Games, security agencies guarding the airports are busy planning a complete makeover to provide better security cover.

A step in this direction is the installation of “intelligent cameras” which have the capability of grasping communication between two people at the airport. The security men are also building new terminals in such a way that they can have in-built facilities to fight any eventuality.

A recent study by the airport officials revealed that the passenger flow by 2010 Commonwealth Games would reach 3.7 crore whereas the present figure stood at 1 crore in a year.

“It will be impossible to handle passengers if we do not start taking steps to improve the security at the airports,” said a senior official handling airport security in the capital.  

He added that they are also installing cameras which can detect unclaimed luggage, suspicious movement of people and these cameras can also listen to the communication between two people.

“This camera might affect private communication between two people but it is important to listen to them in order to identify terrorists and suspicious people,” added the officer. “We would also install censors in the walls of the new terminal to detect bombs and narcotics substances,” said the officer.

“The cameras and other gadgets would be handled by senior officials to ensure that they are not misused,” the officer said.

The terrorist threat on the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport can be assessed by the fact that it was in a state of high alert for 42 week last year. “Our men cannot work in so much pressure if we do not take help of these gadgets to provide better security and lessen the burden,” he said.

Officials handling security of the international and domestic airport also emphasised the threat to the airport in 2006 was unprecedented, having received intelligence inputs of terrorist threats, which had forced the bomb disposal squads and commando units to be on standby.